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Monday, January 23, 2012

An appetizer that I have loved for years now is marinated cheese. When we used to have teacher breakfast at school, one of the moms would bring this, and we all loved it.

I made it during the holidays for two different occasions. The colors are perfect for the holidays, but it works all year round! And it’s pretty easy. Find a printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

The ingredients:

½ cup olive oil

½ cup white wine vinegar

1 (2 oz) jar diced pimento, drained

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons green onions, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (8 oz) package cheddar cheese

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

In a jar, combine all ingredients except cheeses.

Drained pimentos, vinegar, olive oil.

Chopped parsley.

Chopped green onions.

Basil, sugar, salt, pepper.

Minced garlic.

Shake well to combine and set aside.

Cut the cheddar cheese lengthwise in half to make two long pieces. Then, cut each piece into ¼” square slices.

Cut the cream cheese in the same manner – lengthwise and then ¼” slices. Cream cheese should be cold. Spray knife with nonstick spray and/or clean after each cut.

In a shallow serving dish, arrange the cheese pieces into logs, alternating cheddar and cream cheese.

Pour the marinade over the cheese, spreading the vegetables out evenly over the top. (This platter is really too shallow. The liquid ended up leaking a bit off of the side.) Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.

(Marinating is optional -- I have covered the cheeses on the platter with plastic wrap, traveled to my event with the marinade in the jar, and poured it over when I arrived. It is still great, and folks still rave over it’s yumminess!)

I double this recipe for parties – above is a double recipe, but be sure to only get 8 oz bars of cheddar cheese, not 16 oz.

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Child of God, wife of a farmer, mom to a miracle, RN; picture taker, animal lover, Spanish speaker, world traveler, former high school teacher. I love food, knitting, blogging, and living in a small town. I write about a little of all of the above!

Brad is my husband of 6 years and the reason I live across the branch. From a very young age he knew he'd be a farmer. God gave him the love and the talent -- and he's the best looking and the best dressed farmer I know! He's funny, creative, and he's the most wonderful husband and father. He's the one that can make Blair light up like no other.

Blair is four! We are so blessed to have her. She was born very sick, but God gave her strength and brought her through it. She has hearing loss called Auditory Neuropathy and wears hearing aids. She also has chronic lung disease, but you wouldn't know by seeing her! She is the busiest, funniest little thing who keeps us laughing and on our toes. I thank God for her every day.

Leighton is the happy roly poly who joined our family this summer. He has been a joy and is as sweet as his big sister! He's such a blessing, and we're so thankful for him!